In 1971, East Pakistan declared its independence from West Pakistan following a brutal war. This resulted in the creation of the new nation of Bangladesh.
In 1972, the island nation of Ceylon changed its name to Sri Lanka, a term rooted in the Sinhalese language, and declared itself a republic.
One of the most recent and well-known name changes occurred in 2019 when the Republic of Macedonia became North Macedonia.
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993 led to the creation of two separate countries: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The Southeast Asian nation known as Burma was renamed Myanmar in 1989 by the ruling military junta.
Thailand was known as Siam until 1939 when it officially changed its name.
In 1997, Zaire changed its name to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) after a series of political upheavals and conflicts.